Digging device



July 9, 1957 E. BRITE DIGGING DEVICE Filed Oct. 24, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l Ear l H. Br/r v v I N VEN TOR.

E. H. BRITE DIGGING DEVICE July 9, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed 001;. 24, 1955 Earl H. Brife INVENTOR.

I 9 BY adflwayfiMg Unite This invention relates generally to digging or trenching devices and is more particularly concerned with a readily manipulated and substantially balanced trenching machine for digging drainage ditches or the like.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a digging machine incorporating a single wheeled support frame including a rearwardly directed manipulating handle, and including power means and digger and discharge assemblies carried in substantially balanced relationship on the frame wherein the digger assembly is supported on a transverse axis of rotation for directing material being dug rearwardly to the discharge assembly which is rotatable on a longitudinal axis of rotation and disposed rearwardly of the digger assembly for casting said material laterally from said frame.

A further object of the invention in conformance with that set forth above is to provide a digging machine of the character set forth which is readily and economically manufactured, easily manipulated and maintained, and highly efiicient and highly acceptable for the purpose intended.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure l is a side elevational view of the novel digging machine;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the device;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially on line 44 of Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of one of the cutter blade elements of the digger assembly of the device.

The novel digging device or machine is indicated generally at and includes a support frame 12, power means 14 and a combined digging and discharge assembly 16.

The support frame 12 includes a central longitudinally extending frame member 18 which has suitably secured on an intermediate portion thereof a saddle member 20 including a pair of spaced leg portions 22 and 24 which support therein a transverse wheel support shaft 26 of any suitable character upon which is journaled a depending ground engaging wheel 28.

Also secured to the legs 22 and 24 in any suitable manner are the lower ends of rearwardly and upwardly extending handle members 30 and 32, respectively, which terminate in a curved hand-engaging portion 34.

The handles 39 and 32 have extending therebetween in transverse relationship a support plate portion 36 of any suitable character upon which a suitable power plant such as an internal combustion engine of any suitable character is secured, the power plant being indicated at 33 and including a forwardly extending drive shaft 40.

States Patent 2,798,314 Patented July 9, 1957 ice The support plate 36 includes a pair of transversely spaced pivotal support ear elements 42 (only one being shown), see Figure 1, which pivotally support a support standard 44 which is engageable beneath the handle members 30 and 32 as seen in Figure 1, secured by means of suitable clip elements 46 to the position shown in the phantom lines of Figure 1 when the digging machine is being operated.

The rear end 48 of the frame member 18 has suitably secured thereto an upwardly extending bracket element 50 secured to a transverse brace element 52 extending between an intermediate portion of the handle members 30 and 32. The bracket element 50 has secured thereon a bearing assembly 54, of any suitable character, which rotatably supports one end of a drive shaft 56, the other end 58 of the drive shaft being suitably supported and journaled in a bearing assembly 60 extending upwardly from an upper portion of the saddle member 20. The end 62 of the shaft 56 has suitably secured thereon in any suitable manner a pulley member 64 which has journaled thereover a power transmitting belt 66 journaled on a pulley member 68 suitably secured on the shaft 40 of the engine 38. Suitably secured on the end 58 of the shaft 56 is a power output pulley 70 which is secured thereon in any suitable manner and which may accommodate a pair of parallel drive belts 72 as will subsequently become apparent.

The support member 18terminates in a depending downwardly directed portion 74, see Figure 3, at its forwardaend and is suitably secured to a transversely extending casing or housing ,element 76 which rotatably supports a horizontally and transversely extending support shaft 78. The support memberzls has depending therefrom and suitably secured thereto in rearwardly spaced relationship from the forward portion 74 a transversely disposed support panel 84) which has secured thereon a bearing assembly 82. A longitudinally extending support shaft 84 has one end supported in the bearing assembly 82, the other end extending through the portion 74 and having suitably secured thereon a drive pinion gear 86 which is drivingly engaged with a bevel gear 88 suitably secured on the shaft 78 and contained within the housing 76. The rear end 90 of the shaft 84 has suitably secured thereon a pulley element 92 which is coplanar with the pulley 70 over which is journaled the drive belts 72, and thus the pulley 92 is driven by the drive shaft 56 through the pulley 70.

The shaft 78 has suitably secured on opposite end portions extending out of the housing 76 digger blade elements indicated generally at 94 which include a central tubular support portion 96 extendable over the shaft 78, said tubular support portion including a transversely dis posed set screw 98 for engagement with the shaft 78 and securement of the assembly 94 on said shaft, right angularly disposed blade elements 100 and 102 being secured at the opposite ends of the tubular support 96, each of said blade elements having a twisted end portion 104 providing an end portion which is parallel to the axis of rotation of the shaft 78. Each of the portions 104 has suitably secured thereon a bight portion of a channelshaped cutter element 106 having cutter portions 108 extending outwardly therefrom.

As seen in Figure 3, the direction arrows indicate that the digger blade assemblies 94 will be rotated in a clock wise direction or in the direction of movement of the frame of the machine whereby material being dug at the ground level indicated at G will be thrown rearwardly.

Secured on the support member 18 are a pair of horizontally disposed laterally extending plates 11d and 112 which terminate at their outer edges in depending downwardly extending side portions 114 and 116, respectively,

which define a housing for the digger blade assemblies 94 and overlie the path of rotation of the portions 104 thereof. It will be noted that the channel-shaped cutter elements are so disposed as to urge the portions 108 into the ground and to dig separate individual little trenches during their movement.

Suitably secured to the shaft 84 is a discharge fan or blade assembly 118 having a central hub 120 secured on the shaft 84 by means of a transverse set screw 122, said hub 120 having extending therefrom a plurality of radially extending blades 124. The assembly 118 is surrounded by an annular housing 126 which opens toward the digger blade assemblies 94 and receives material being thrown rearwardly, said annular housing 126 being secured in any suitable manner in the depending support plate 80 and including a tangentially disposed discharge opening 128 including an upper deflector portion 130 whereby material thrown rearwardly by the blade assemblies 94 is received within the housing 126 and is cast laterally therefrom out of the opening 128.

It will be noted that the assemblies 94 and 118 constitute the combined digger and conveyor assembly and are disposed forwardly of the support axle 26 for the support wheel 28. The power means including the motor 38 is disposed rearwardly of the support axle 26 and thus there is afforded a substantially balanced digging machine which is readily manipulated by an operator grasping the handles 34.

Various positional directional terms such as front, rear, etc. are utilized here and have only a relative connotation to aid in describing the device and are not intended to require any particular orientation with respect to any external elements.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is:

In a trench digging machine, a longitudinal support member having front and rear ends, a saddle member depending from and secured to said support member in straddling relation thereto intermediate said ends, a

ground wheel rotatably mounted in said saddle member beneath said support member and rotatable about an axis transverse to the support member, a pair of relatively diverging handles inclining upwardly from said saddle member rearwardly of said support member and upon opposite sides thereof, a depending portion on said front end terminating in a housing having a shaft journaled therethrough transversely of the support member and provided thereon with a pair of rotary trench digger elements at opposite sides of the housing, a pair of depending plate members on opposite sides of the support member rearwardly of the housing and overlying said digger elements to prevent said digger elements from throwing dirt upwardly, a motor mounted between said handles in the rear of the support member, a plate dependhousing between the second and first-named shafts, and

to the exact construction and operation shown and operating connections between the motor and the secondnamed shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,095,097 Fournet Apr. 28, 1914 1,820,707 Moen Aug. 25, 1931 2,169,079 Bosworth Aug. 8, 1939 

